Testing a neutral model for the biotic effects of sea-level change

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

Testing a neutral model for the biotic effects of sea-level change Stephen Holland, University of Georgia EAR- 0948895 ABSTRACT Modern ecological studies have demonstrated how the area of suitable habitat governs the diversity of terrestrial organisms. In addition, the ability of species to disperse over broad distances affects diversity not only in local areas but also over broader regions. In the marine realm, changes in sea level can directly control the area of shallow marine continental shelf habitats and can also affect the distribution of habitat types on a shelf. As a result, sea-level change has the potential to drive changes in shallow marine biodiversity. Sea-level changes may therefore be responsible for the changes in marine biodiversity seen over geologic time scales and have the potential to affect marine biodiversity in the near future as global sea level rises. This research will test how the diversity of shallow-marine organisms responds to sea-level change, using a combination of computer modeling, field study of diversity changes in response to sea-level change in the distant geologic past, and database analysis of the marine fossil record. Field work will be conducted in Late Ordovician (~450 Ma) rocks of the eastern United States, building on data acquired in previous NSF-funded studies. This research will apply Hubbell?s (2001) model, which makes quantitative predictions about the relationship of diversity to habitat area and dispersal potential. The combination of modeling, field, and database approaches will bridge current research in ecology and paleontology, two fields that have historically had little interaction despite substantial overlap in their focus. Funds from this research will support the training of undergraduate research and a graduate student. Statistical methods developed in this research will also be distributed as freeware for use by scientists and the general public.